Players and Coaches Quotes from Sept. 8

Players and Coaches Quotes from Sept. 8
Thursday, September 8, 2005

Head Coach Mike MartzThursday, September 8, 2005
(On coaching with Mike Nolan for the Washington Redskins)
“Mike has always had great deal of leadership. He’s a calm personality that exudes confidence, a very sharp individual. He, kind of, just demands a great deal of respect just automatically when you meet him. He has that sort of air about him, a very intelligent guy. He does a great job.”
(On whether Nolan was with Baltimore when they played the Rams in 1999)
“I believe he was, yeah.”
(On whether he is excited to see what RB Steven Jackson can do from the starting position)
“We’re just putting all of these pieces together. I was looking at our roster today, and 21 of the 46 guys are new to our roster. It’s not just Steven [Jackson]. We’re trying to see how they play as a team, so you’re a little nervous when you get so many new people. I’m anxious to play.”
(On Steve Jackson saying that he is willing to ask for the ball more during a game)
“Well, they all do. Receivers like to tell you that they want the ball too. That’s just the way it is. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t do that. That’s what he’s used to and that’s what he wants, and of course that’s what you want in there.”
(On the league when a team can have such major roster changes and still be a contender)
“It is. Usually each year you’re turning over almost a third of your roster at times. We have done that before too. We have some guys back, some faces, some veteran leadership. That has helped us. That’s just the way the NFL is now.”
(On the keys to winning on the road)
“I think that so much of that has to do with the strength and depth of your roster. When you go out on the road and you have any injury problems, it gets magnified. It really does. It eliminated confusion when you have all of your guys healthy. They have to treat their whole routine, the night before and the morning of the game, as if they were at home. Those things are really critical to it, and [you] look at it, in that respect, like it is at home.”
(On whether some teams like the 2001 Rams are better on the road)
“You didn’t even talk about it. You didn’t talk about being on the road, just playing. You didn’t care where you played; you just wanted to let them play. When you have a team that’s going like that, it’s nice to be at home, it’s exciting, but they just can’t wait to play. That’s a very special feeling and hopefully we can get to that.”
(On dealing with adversity on the road)
“It happens in every game. It happens in every game, not just on the road, and that is how you have to look at that. The biggest key on the road is setting the tempo from the first snap and taking the crowd out of it. If you can do that, you kind of get control of the game early.”
(On his comfort level heading into this year’s opener)
“Well, there are not guys in key positions that you’re just trying to try and hope they have it. We don’t have that situation. I think [Rex] Tucker is well up to speed. He would be the only individual on offense and defensively, and we’ve had so many reps with them that I feel comfortable with those guys. So, it is a different feeling. I don’t know if you ever feel comfortable, I don’t think comfort is a term to use in football. But, I think I feel confident that we’ll play well.”
(On calling Rex Tucker, Ryan)
“Like I’ve said before, I have a hard time calling my kids by the right name.”
(On seeing L.A. Rams fans in the end zone at San Francisco)
“You know, the only time I’ve really noticed them was last year and they were quite loud. It was nice. It’s always nice when you’re on the road and you have a good following.” RB Steven Jackson
(On how long he has been looking forward to starting in the season opener)
“It has been a while. This Sunday is going to be a full-length assignment for me. I have a lot of people coming up, from Vegas and Oregon, so I’m going to have the family support that I need.”
(On how much better his knees feels over this time last year)
“One hundred percent. The training staff here did a great job of rehabbing me, making sure that I was coming into the season and into camp fully prepared to endure what we’ve been through. I’m making it to week one healthy and one hundred percent, so that is great for us.”
(On the level of expectations for the offense within the organization)
“I don’t think that they are any higher than they have been in this organization. We are known for our offense, we’re known for the firepower, and now I guess you could say there is resurgence in the running game. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can do against the San Francisco *****.”
(On whether he thinks Coach Martz will rely more on the running game than he has in the past)
“We all never know what to expect from [Coach] Mike [Martz]. As long as I keep putting up the numbers I keep putting up, we, and when I say we I mean the media, could have an argument that you could hand the ball off a little more. But it’s up to me when I do have the chance to run, to make something happen to it.”
(On whether he would ever tell Coach Martz at halftime that he was ready to run)
“I wouldn’t wait for halftime to say it. I think a lot of people know how I feel about running the ball. But I also understand when we have the likenesses of Tory [Holt], Isaac [Bruce], Kevin [Curtis] and [Shaun] Mac[Donald], you have to spread the ball out to those guys too. You have to be a little selfish and at times you have to be a little giving.”WR Torry Holt
(On his feelings for the season getting underway)
“I’m excited. It’s good that training camp is over and we can move on to the regular season and actually get an opportunity to see where we are as a football team when it’s on the line. I’m excited for this football team, excited for where we’re headed and hopefully we can get out to a good start.”
(On opening the season with two divisional road games)
“I think it’s good. We’re definitely going to have to play our best ball for the next couple of weeks. So, hopefully you guys will see the Rams’ best ball for the next couple weeks because of the division game. We know how important it is. It gives us an opportunity and gives them an opportunity to get one or two up on the division. It’s very critical. It’s just up to us to go on the road and try to win on the road. It’s a division opponent on the road, so it will be a great challenge for us all around.”
(On comparisons to the ’99 team)
“I think what people are probably seeing are some similarities. I think the way our offense displayed our talent on Monday night, you quickly have flashbacks of ’99, 2001 and years before that. That game, we were on the road, and we just felt like we could do anything at any given time. But to compare the whole team to ’99, I think that’s a little far-stretched. We still have to win a game, and win more games, and win a super bowl before we start doing any comparisons. But there are some similarities in how we played offensively as well as defensively.” DT Jimmy Kennedy
(On what challenges San Francisco provides)
“They are a decent bunch. They have a solid offensive line, quarterback is pretty good, [Tim] Rattay. They also have [Alex] Smith who is still learning, and he’s going to be a good player in this league in the future. Barlow is a great runner. They have a great balance. Their defense is always excellent. They just have a balanced team. We’re going to have our hands full.”
(On whether he comes into a game against a lower rated opponent differently)
“It’s never an easy win. What was it, Miami last year? They only had one win, I believe, and we went down there and they upset us. It’s always a danger, and like I said, we’re going to have our hands full with the ‘9ers.”
(On whether the defense has more emphasis over last year on run stopping)
“Of course. It’s a big thing that everyone knows that we were last or somewhere at the bottom of the league at [stopping] rushing, and we’re trying to improve that.”
(On how he feels physically compared to this point last year)
“I feel great now. Last year going into the season I think my confidence was a little low, but I had confidence. Unfortunately, I had to suffer that broken foot. This year I am confident, taking it practice at a time, and just trying to get better each day.”
(On how good he thinks the defensive line could be this season)
“I think we could be the best. We just have to keep working. We can’t talk about it we have to just go out there and prove it.”DE Anthony Hargrove
(On San Francisco’s offense)
“It’s a new revamped offense. Hearst is talking about how he is more motivated this year, so we’re looking for him to come out and have an explosive year. We’re trying to come out and stop the run early this year.”
(On his motivation for the upcoming season)
“I’m very motivated. I know right now that I have to come out and prove something. There are people looking at me to see if I’m really going to play this year or what’s really going to happen.”
(On the Rams’ defense this season)
“I think our defense is great, but we can always get better. I’m always going to say our defense is good.” CB Travis Fisher
(On playing with CB DeJuan Groce)
“DeJuan has been here, he got a lot of playing time last year. He has really improved his game and I think all of the players, as well as the coaching staff, have a lot of confidence in him.”
(On defensive changes for the Rams)
“We’ve just been grinding man; we’ve just been trying to go out here every day and compete and trying to step our game up. We’ve been doing a great job competing, and that’s what it’s all about. Every day we step out there, we’re just trying to compete to the fullest.”
(On the chemistry of the Rams’ secondary)
“Yeah, there is a chemistry. We’ve been working pretty good together out on the field. We’ve got Mike Hawthorne, a guy who hasn’t been here like [Adam] Archuleta, but he has been on the field and we have been communicating pretty well. So, I think we will be fine.”